Florence furniture plant closing, 200 jobs lost

A manufacturing company in Florence announced plans to close operations that will put 200 people out of their jobs by next summer.

Izzy+ announced plans Friday to shift production from the Florence facility to plants in Indiana and Michigan.

“It’s very disheartening,” said Florence Mayor Mickey Haddock. “It’s pretty tough when you get an email at 4pm on a Friday and you’ve not even been asked if there’s anything you can do to help.”

“We regret the impact this decision has on the people of the Florence facility, because they have been an important and well-performing part of our Izzy+ family,” said President and CEO Kevin Kuske in a news release. “We will be doing everything possible to help them transition to other employment.”

A spokesman for Izzy+ says that help includes keeping the plant operating in Florence until next summer and providing a generous out-placement plan that includes a severance package involving a week’s pay for each year of employment.

Izzy+ makes office furniture at its facility in Florence. The facility was bought by Izzy+ from the Jami Corporation in 2006 and before that it had been ABCO. Some of the employees had worked under the different ownership groups for decades.

A spokesman for Izzy+ says the decision to leave Florence was based on economic and regional decisions.

This is the third major manufacturing operation to announce its plans to close in Florence this year.

Earlier this year, the Hon Company and Hillshire Brands announced plans to close putting about 1,300 workers out of a job.

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